The Firewood Shed Encounter
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The Firewood Shed Encounter (柴房會) is a famous traditional Teochew opera excerpt, telling the story of Li Laosan (李老三), a humble peddler who spends the night in the woodshed of an inn and unexpectedly encounters the restless ghost of Mo Erniang (莫二娘). Mo Erniang was originally a respectable woman, but was cheated out of her money and affection by Yang Chun (陽春), a merchant from Yangzhou, and abandoned, leading her to commit suicide in grief and anger. Her vengeful spirit lingers, and in the woodshed, she meets the upright and kind-hearted Li Laosan, recounting her grievances and begging for his help in seeking revenge. Li Laosan readily agrees and takes her ghost to Yangzhou for revenge.[1][2]
The most classic performance in the play is by the renowned Teochew opera clown artist Fang Zhanrong (方展榮), whose "ladder acrobatics" (梯子功) performed on a twenty feet tall bamboo ladder vividly portrays the character's terror, becoming the climax of the entire play. Folk legend believes that the story of The Firewood Shed Encounter originated in an old house in Sanrao Town (三饒鎮), Raoping County, Teochew City, known locally as "Broken Drum" (擂破鼓). It is said that the merchant Wu Er (吳二), who caused Mo Erniang's death, was a native of Sanrao. In the northeast corner of his residence, a special room was set aside to placate Mo Erniang's ghost. Because villagers would beat drums there to drive away spirits, the place came to be known as "The Broken Drum."[1][2][3][4]
The Firewood Shed Encounter has long been a classic in the Teochew opera repertoire, and through generations of performance it has developed multiple versions, each with variations in plot and emphasis.
Li Laosan, the play's protagonist, is a street peddler who roams from place to place to make a living. His opening lines vividly sketch his life of hardship: "To make a living, I travel far and wide; my shoulders serve as grain jars, my feet hurry endlessly. I buy rouge, dice, and face powder to earn a little profit for my daily meals" (為生計，走四方，肩膀作米瓮，兩足走忙忙。專買胭脂朥骰共水粉，賺些微利度三餐). Orphaned from childhood, he is a lifelong bachelor — "thirty with no wife, forty with no child" (三十無妻、四十無兒) — and survives through constant toil, "like a hen leading her chicks: only by working can one eat" (雞母帶雞仔，有辦才有食, this is a Teochew idiom).
One night he seeks lodging at the Yi Ji Inn (義記客店), but the inn is full. Because he is a familiar customer and pleads repeatedly, the innkeeper reluctantly offers him a room in the woodshed, a place rumored to be haunted, and even waives the fee. Though timid, Li Laosan agrees for the sake of rest and to save money.
At midnight, the wronged ghost of Mo Erniang appears. Their exchange, known as The Woodshed Duet (柴房對唱), is the dramatic heart of the play. At first, Li Laosan does not realize she is a ghost and assumes the innkeeper has sent someone to demand rent. When he finally understands her true nature, he is terrified out of his wits.
In Fang Zhanrong's celebrated version, Li Laosan's fear is rendered with extraordinary nuance. He scrambles up a bamboo ladder nearly two zhang high, performing the famed "ladder technique": hanging upside down, hooking on with a single foot, spinning at the top — difficult feats executed with comic expressiveness. Fang's artistry lies in maintaining the character's panic-stricken, clownish demeanor even while performing dangerous acrobatics. Through movement, facial expression, and speech, he brings Li Laosan's terror vividly to life.
Seeing that Li Laosan is honest and kind, Mo Erniang reveals that she means him no harm. She recounts her tragedy: once a respectable young woman, she was abducted into prostitution, then entrusted her life savings to the Yangzhou merchant Yang Chun in hopes of redemption. Yang Chun took her money and abandoned her at an inn. In despair, she drowned herself, and her spirit became trapped in the woodshed.
During this duet, Fang Zhanrong uses subtle shifts in gaze and expression to portray Li Laosan's transformation from abject fear to righteous indignation as he listens to her story.
Moved by compassion, Li Laosan resolves to help her despite the danger. Mo Erniang transforms into a wisp of blue smoke and slips into his umbrella. On stage, this is traditionally shown through her light, floating steps paired with Li Laosan's umbrella movements, creating the illusion of a spirit dissolving into mist to take shelter.
Li Laosan then sets off with Mo Erniang's ghost toward Yangzhou. In the end, they reach their destination, allowing the wronged spirit to take revenge and justice to be restored.